Celebrating Excellence:
Top Ten Ranking Virginia Hospitals Recognized for Stellar Paternity Establishment Rates
Richmond, Va.—The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) in conjunction with the Virginia Paternity Establishment Program (VPEP) has announced the top ten Virginia hospitals recognized for excellent performances in paternity establishment rates for 2022. These hospitals, located throughout the Commonwealth, continue to set the industry standard by recording paternity establishment rates greater than 77 percent.
VDSS’ Division of Child Support Enforcement sponsors VPEP, which is operated by Veritas-HHS. VPEP is a program which offers unmarried parents the opportunity to establish paternity of their newborns by voluntarily acknowledging fatherhood during their hospital stay. VPEP also supports paternity establishment should unmarried parents decide later that they would like to add the dad to the birth certificate. The Commonwealth has a total of 53 birthing hospitals serving parents statewide that promote paternity establishment.
“The benefits of establishing paternity are vast and vary from increasing a child’s self-esteem to establishing a child’s health history,” stated Yesenia Peiker, VPEP Project Manager. “It is imperative that we continually advocate the idea that paternity establishment is about the child, not about the parents. A child, who has an established bond with his or her father, has greater access to emotional support and social and economic opportunities.”
The hospital with the highest paternity establishment rate in 2022 is Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. At 84.34%, their paternity establishment rates exceed the projected state-mandated levels of more than 80% for the year.
The Commonwealth’s current paternity establishment rate averages are 77%, which is up 1% from 2021. The paternity establishment rates are on an upward trend. This is a valuable fact considering that statistics show more unmarried mothers are giving birth, due in part to changing social patterns, social beliefs and changing economic conditions.
The top ten ranked hospitals for 2022 are shown below:
2022 Virginia Births by Facility Hospital Voluntary Paternity Establishment Rates (as reported by DVR)
| Hospital | 2022 Paternity Rate |
| 1. Sentara Martha Jefferson | 84.34% |
| 2. Inova Fair Oaks | 83.58% |
| 3. Sentara RMH | 83.16% |
| 4. Inova Loudon | 82.53% |
| 5. Winchester Medical Center | 82.19% |
| 6. St. Francis Hospital | 81.92% |
| 7. Johnston Willis | 81.83% |
| 8. Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center | 81.80% |
| 9. Ballad Health Johnston Memorial | 81.43% |
| 10. StoneSprings Hospital | 81.11% |
To find out more information about the Virginia Paternity Establishment Program, please visit www.vapaternity.com
